Ralph the Wonder Llama

So. I see it’s been nearly a month since I said anything. Well, I’ve been busy, believe it or not. No, really. I’ve no idea how I ever found time to go to work.

Anyway, in the past few weeks I’ve had a week-long visit from Claire, which was great. In a distinct contrast to our earlier days we ate healthily, went for a hike in the Pentlands:

and did a couple of laps of Arthur’s Seat. She was keen for a swim in the lake, myself, less so. Still found time to visit the Edinburgh CAMRA beer festival, mind. Noice. And she brought the sun with her, as usual, which was excellent. No idea how she does that.
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I said I’d drop you a line when I got here didn’t I? It hasn’t taken me two weeks to get here (though the wait in Heathrow felt a bit like it), though it has taken a little getting used to being back. This is a bit surprising when one considers how much hasn’t changed: the weather still sucks, England are still useless at football, Dark Island is still better than Kingfisher, and so on and so forth.

Still, I don’t imagine I’ll get much sympathy for wittering on about how cold it is here, so given that there’s really not an awful lot to report, why not have a look at some of the photos I’ve uploaded. I haven’t got round to putting titles or anything on most of them, nor done much weeding, but it’ll give you something to look at till the footy comes on again.

Hmm. I appear to have stumbled upon a random song title as title thing. Not intentional, I can assure you. Especially not the last one. La.

Anyway, I’m here in my room at the Yes pondering final preparations for the return trip. I’ve done all my chores and am now hiding from the heat in air-conditioned comfort. I’m not a big fan of A/C, and think it’s over-used in the UK, but honestly, you’d be mad not to pay for a room with it here just now. I’ve just read a story in the Grauniad about how many people are dying from heat stroke in what is apparently the hottest summer since records began in 1800. Can’t say I’m surprised.

In fact, I came over a little unwell myself last night. I don’t know whether it was a touch of heat stroke (not that I was out for that long yesterday) or something I ate at lunch, but I felt, and indeed was, sick late on, then slept for hours, missing the wickets I had waited for during Bangladesh’s sturdy fightback after the follow-on. Typical. Anyway, I feel fine today, and am keeping out of the sun and eating carefully just in case.

So I leave here for the airport at 22:30 and, thanks to the BA strike, have an 8.5 hour wait for my connecting flight in London. Barstages. Still, at least I’m actually getting home, fingers crossed. Drop you a line when I get there.

Things have been quiet around here for a little while on account of uber-flaky intarwebs connections, and then none at all when Im and Nar’s modem got killed by lightning. We had a lot of rain and thunderstorms over the last few days, which is good for the garden, but bad for electronics.

Anyway, yesterday I sadly had to leave the mountains and head back down to Delhi, since my flight leaves on Tuesday and my visa expires on Thursday. The BA strike has left me with an eight-and-a-half hour layover in Heathrow, but at least I can still get home. The trip down to Delhi was not without incident mainly on account of my somewhat inaccurate answer to the question “Do you have yout tickets/passport/money?” The rail ticket I had looked at while packing turned out to be my old one from March and I hadn’t printed out the new one. Attempts to locate an internet cafe in Haldwani proved difficult, since it seemed to be school exam results day and every cafe was swamped with a million kids getting their results online. Eventually I managed to find a place, dump myself rather rudely at the front of the queue and throw myself upon the mercy of the owner. Then his printer decided to start playing up… Eventually we got to Lal Kuan Station with eight minutes to spare and I made it to the train. Phew.
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Just got time to say a quick Happy 40th Birthday to JJ, gentleman, scholar, and one-man Bush massif. Or something. Anyway, he’s a fine fellow, and his birthday bash tomorrow night is one of the few things that I seriously considered when trying to decide whether or not to stay on here for longer. I shall miss the do, unfortunately, but will raise a glass in absentia, now I’ve got sole onwership of my liver back.

Happy Birthday mate – have a good one

You’ll be glad to know, I’m sure, that I’m feeling a lot better. I’m certainly pleased about it, I can tell you, and I’m feeling stronger by the day. Hoorah. The ten days or so I was sick seem a bit of a haze now – I don’t think I was all that with it some of the time. Still, I’m feeling good again, back to Tai Chi of a morning, and back to work as of yesterday.

One contributing factor in my recovery has so far, shamefully, gone unrecognised, and I feel I ought to correct that right now. You see Amul, purveryors of ice-cream to the sub-contintent, make these:

As you can see, the health benefits of the Amul Chocobar are many and varied. Not only is it Probiotic, it has other, more specific, benefits too:

These would be foolish to ignore, as I’m sure any doctor would agree. I have, therefore, over the past few days, been aiding my recovery in the areas of immune system, osteopathy and, not least, making my brain bigger, by eating at least one of these a day. Having lost a bit of weight I can afford the fat and calories, discreetly tucked away on a (very small) panel on the back. All this and it’s political, too: see, it’s pro-life? Well, everyone has a right to choose I guess. And I choose Amul Chocobar – it’s good for you!

In other news, we’ve been having some fairly spectacular thunderstorms here, with more rain, which is welcome. Last night’s lightning show was pretty special, even if it did blow all the fuses. Again. Great entertainment, assuming one isn’t standing under a large pylon or something daft. With or without an ice-cream.

Just a quick hello. We had a nice big thunderstorm last night and another one this afternoon. It’s just stopped raining after several hours, and it’s nice and cool and damp. Lovely.

Last night at about 4 am there was an earthquake, the second time in two months that I’ve been flat on my back in bed and felt the earth move, so things are clearly looking up. This was a proper good one too, with general shakiness and stuff clattering about on the fireplace.

I finished my malaria tablets this morning, so just have a few of the antibiotics and painkillers left to go, and hopefully I should be cured. I’ve had three decent nights in a row now and am feeling much improved, if still a bit whacked generally. Distinctly healthier though, I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear. The thought that’s stayed with me over the past few days is that, while this is a disease that affects and indeed still kills so many people worldwide every year, I’ve been treated with six tablets in three days at a cost of something like £2.50. I know that’s a lot more money to some than it is to me, but it puts into perspective what the governments of the world spend their money on. There are some strange priorities out there.

Later I shall exchange one form of pain for another by watching (satellite reception permitting) Liverpool play Chelski, in the company of a long-serving Chavs fan who’s staying here just now. Tara has threatened to call the police. I suspect, given the importance of a win to both sides, that we’ll end up with a tedious 0-0 draw.

Hopefully back to work tomorrow. I’ve lost a fair bit of time to illness, but hey, what can one do? I have a sick note, after all.

Today is Mayday. It’s also my Mum’s birthday. Had she lived, she would have been seventy-five today. As it is she died 27 years ago now. It’s always hard to know what to say on this day that I haven’t said before. I suppose as time goes by one’s perspective changes. It won’t be many more years before I’ll be older than she ever was, which is a pretty weird thought. It occurs to me every time I come to India that she’d have enjoyed it here, would have revelled in the experience. I’d have loved the opportunity to bring her here and I know the respect that she would have been afforded had she come, as mothers, quite rightly, are here, possibly more overtly than elsewhere I’ve been.

I say none of this with great sadness – they are merely reflections. After all, this day is a far better one to remember than the one upon which she died. So it is a day for quiet remembrance, and to offer thanks for the time she was able to give me, for all the things she put into making me who I am. I’d raise a glass in her memory, but with a liver full of malaria parasites that’s probably a bad idea. So a lassi and a smile from my heart will have to suffice.

Health update: after another rough-ish night last night, I ummed and ahhed this morning about whether or not to try to ride out this bug, but in the end I felt fed up enough with it to let Im and Penny take me up to the local hospital to get it checked out. The hospital is up on top of the ridge i.e. the most difficult place for water in a place that’s dry enough as it is. Still, the views of the Himalaya are spectacular, I’m told. When they can be seen at all, that is.

We were seen very quickly, and dealt with very well throughout. The hospital itself could use one or two tweaks, it’s true, but then it’s just been taken over by a new company who have a good reputation in the field. In fact we met the new director, on his first day. A very nice chap. His first action, witnessed by Im and Penny, was to tidy up the appearance of the reception seating, since he didn’t think the first impression very good. He also welcomed our feedback on little things that needed improvement. You know, soap in the toilets, for example. In general, though, a good facility.

Anyway, the doc examined me and sent me for some tests. The results came back a couple of hours later and we went back to find out the results. I don’t have a stomach bug at all, in fact, so Penny getting ill was a coincidence, it seems. No, what I have is Malaria. Uh huh. I was quite surprised too. Apparently it’s not a terribly virulent infection, and I have antibodies on the case already, but nevertheless, I now have a whole new set of medicines, slightly more targeted this time (separate things for pain relief, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and malaria parasite), to help me get better. The anti-malaria medicine is on order and should be in Almora tomorrow afternoon, and then the prognosis is that I should be better in about three days. Needless to say, I’m quite glad I decided to go to the hospital today.

A big thank you, by the way, to Im, Narendra and Penny for looking after me and doing so much running around on my behalf over the past few days. Also to the folks here at Tara’s for all their concern and care, especially Som who’s been quite worried, I think. Finally to Lyn and Patty for lending me lots of new books to keep me going when I could do little else but sit in a chair and read. Thanks all.

Oh, and just as a PS, the doctor said that the anti-malarial tablets I’d been advised in the UK to take while in Goa are completely useless anywhere in India. There’s a strain that’s come over from SE Asia that’s resistant to them apparently. So much for that seven weeks of mild nastiness, then. By the way I still have three weeks’ supply left, if anyone wants some. Going cheap. All offers to the usual address…

It pains me – really rather a lot, actually – to report that my thus far fortunate run of good health in India has come to an end. Last Friday evening, for reasons still unclear, both Penny and I came down with rather a nasty bug. Suffice it to say that there is no photography with this bulletin. Ahem.

Anyway, I’ve had rather a rough few days of it, to say nothing of the nights. I didn’t think I’d have to resort to three blankets and wooly socks at any point about now, but that’s what fever and chills have necessitated. I’m feeling a little better today, though somewhat feak and weeble, and am working my way through a small pharmacy of medication on my table. If things haven’t improved sufficiently by tomorrow I may have to go and see a Doc and get some proper drugs. Penny is, I’m glad to report, much on the mend already. Clearly living under snow for an extra month has hardened her up a bit.